thankful tree

I've been really trying to make sure the kids have an idea what being thankful is and appreciating all that we have in our lives.  We have a lot.  Not just things, but family and friends, too.  The other day jake was being a three year old and totally frustrating me on the way to soccer.  Ugh.  I went into this whole lecture about being appreciative and how not every kids gets to go to soccer.  I wish I had a picture of his face at the end of that lecture.  It totally was a my mom is a lunatic face.

So maybe my lecturing was a bit above what a three year old is going to tolerate.  A thankful tree is not.  Around Thanksgiving, I decided we were going to have a thankful tree.  It wasn't the prettiest tree out there but, it was a symbol and a talking point.  I grabbed some branches from around our yard and stuck them in a pitcher filled with rocks from jake's old fish bowl.  RIP Bobby and Lil Bill.  We talked about being thankful for things and people in our lives.

I asked jake what he was thankful for and he told me garbage trucks.  I asked him what else.  He said, "dumpster garbage trucks."  I asked anna what she was thankful for and she just looked at me.  I asked jake what he thought anna was thankful for and he said, "the Fresh Beat Band."  There you go.

My intention was to keep the tree going until Christmas but, unfortunately, a little thing called our family trip to Florida distracted me.  Sigh.  Loved that distraction.